are u ok?
Fluttershy stared at her phone in horror. Just a simple question, just three basic words, and it scared her so much. She didn't want Rainbow Dash to be in any worse state than she already was. Fluttershy had grown to know Rainbow's delicate state, but neither of them had ever said anything about it. Rainbow preferred it that way.
It was the wrong way, and Fluttershy knew that. But she'd never object. She hated to hurt anyone's feelings. She did once, and she'd lost several friends—not to mention popularity. It changed her for the better, though she'd still never do that again. She didn't want to make anybody feel less important than they already were.
She curled up on her bed and waited for a response, staring at her phone. Rainbow Dash was typing. But then she'd stopped. Just like Fluttershy's breath right then and there.
She set down her phone and finally exhaled, looking up at her ceiling, where the glow-in-the-dark stars were. She'd carefully placed them so that they formed a constellation that looked like a butterfly, a symbol of hope. Something she'd often needed. She looked back at her phone again.
🦋
hope u have hope
hope u feel better
Fluttershy blinked, staring for minutes at the unmoving screen. She finally sighed and set it down, telling herself she would need sleep. She hoped Rainbow Dash could sleep.
Hope. She hoped Rainbow Dash had hope.
The next day, Fluttershy sat at her usual table during lunch. Right behind her was usually where Rainbow Dash sat. She'd watched Rainbow's lunch routine: Grab lunch, sit down, eat in silence. It was pretty much the same as hers. Only, as time went on, Rainbow's silence seemed to be more of the sad type and less of the shy type.
Just yesterday, Fluttershy had finally mustered up enough courage to check out why Rainbow acted slower and sadder every single day. She walked to the table slowly, silently, until finally she saw that Rainbow had her phone out. And on it was a social media app, one with her picture posted.
Why, though?
She could just barely make out some of the comments, but they supplied a perfect answer for her.
what a wimp
Impressive that she's in the sports team. She's so weak after all
She was hit with a wave of memory when she looked at Rainbow's downcast face. She remembered being bullied back in second grade, her face down, not a feeling in the world that was worse. She wanted to do something, to show those bullies something they gave her.
Rainbow Dash had been in her class then. And, luckily, Rainbow had stood up for her and stopped her from getting into any trouble.
And you, well, I would say something hurtful, but I won't. I don't wanna be mean like you. Being tough is different than being mean. I'm tough. And she's incredibly tough, especially for dealing with mean jerks like you!
Rainbow Dash stood up for her. Fluttershy couldn't be more grateful.
So she stood up. She pulled Rainbow up and hugged her. Rainbow turned around in fear, and in tears, and ran away. Fluttershy reached out a hand after her, not wanting to follow her and make things worse. Rainbow Dash wasn't mean. But right now, the tough part was faltering.
But... fear?
Where did that come from?
With a worried look, Fluttershy glanced at her phone and opened her messages. Her history with Rainbow wasn't very full. The two barely knew each other, and had only given each other their phone numbers for a group project. But sometimes, you needed to help out a stranger from time to time.
Not all strangers created great dangers. Sometimes, a stranger could be a friend. Your best friend, even.
She opened her messages with Rainbow Dash again. She finally sent:
im so so soo sorry
wanna... talk abt it?
Fluttershy's eyes welled with tears as she stared at the next train of messages.
i hate u sm.
something's wrong
wanna talk about it?
just go away
yk the answer.
obviously.
Fluttershy did know the answer: no. But she wouldn't accept it. She told herself she'd try again tomorrow.
And today, that was today. So today, as she stared at the seat Rainbow should've been in, she instead saw a girl with a country hat and hair tied near. That wasn't right. That wasn't Rainbow Dash. She glanced around the cafeteria, looking for anybody that looked like Rainbow.
Rainbow
where are u??
i hate this-
just get away
why does it matter sm to you
im hiding, is that answer good enough?
Fluttershy sighed and looked around, finding her curled up on the ground by the wall. Her head was buried in her arms, and her arms were folded over her now wet leggings, at her knees. And she cried silently. As soon as Rainbow felt Fluttershy's touch on her arm, she looked up and glared. It made her wince. Fluttershy had never seen her glare. She was usually so nice, always only just acting tough.
Never to Fluttershy.
Not until today.
She ran off, and Fluttershy bit her lip. As she walked slowly through the halls of the school, she fidgeted with her hands and thought of a tune she used to listen to whenever she needed comfort. That tune slipped out, though, and she soon focused instead on the soft sound of sobbing. As she followed it, she thought of what she would say.
I don't hate you?
She could say that; it was very much true. But she decided to play along and let things happen as they did. There could, after all, be more meaningful things said than stating the obvious.
"There's something different about you. Everyday, you act slower and sadder. I remember when we were younger; you were soft, but tough. Now? It's just so different in a way I can't explain. It's as if you want to just..." Fluttershy trailed off.
Rainbow knew what was coming next, though. "Yeah," she said with a wipe of her tears. "I do want to die."
"Don't. I need you."
It was all she needed to hear. Rainbow Dash sobbed, crawling into the locker. Fluttershy sat in front of her.
She waited. "Something's wrong. Do you wanna talk about it?"
"I- well, I-" Rainbow stuttered. "I feel trapped. I'm stuck in the mud that everyone keeps throwing at me, and I can't do anything but sit and stare as they go on, pushing me around.
"I hoped that maybe, one day, they would manage to push me far enough that I could ignore the mess. But no, never. I never managed to escape. They always pushed me deeper."
Fluttershy closed her eyes. She felt pressure on her shoulders, a memory of when she, too, had drowned in mean comments. And there was one thing she very distinctly recalled that somehow managed to clear away at least a tiny bit of the mud. She pulled Rainbow Dash out of the locker and, with a quick glance around, hugged her.
Rainbow Dash blinked and dried her tears. But she, though hesitant, gladly hugged her back.
im sry
i dont hate you
i was just rly mad...
well obviously
ur too nice for that
and ur too nice for me
Rainbow Dash walked through the halls of Canterlot High, a ball bouncing on her head and a catchy tune finding its way in her happy mind. As she walked across the lockers, she stopped, the tune slowing down and the ball having nowhere to go but the floor.
As the tune flew out of her ear, another sound found its way into Rainbow Dash's mind. The soft sound of someone crying. And... banging lockers?
She walked down the halls, unsure of what to think, finding herself at the back lockers. She uneasily watched as a fire-haired girl walked away, a smug grin painted across her face. With a glare, Rainbow Dash opened the one unused locker and found Fluttershy in it, curled up and sobbing. A wave of nostalgia hit her as she sat down in front of Fluttershy, her arm on her shoulder.
Rainbow Dash frowned and sighed.
Fluttershy smiled through her tears.
ik u said u were js fine earlier
that that Sunset Shimmer girl was js a one time thing
but ik theres more
...
well...
smth is wrong. wanna... talk about it???
